Combating Spiritual Blindness
If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from Him.
1 John 5:14–15
There are several specific needs that we should consider as targets for prayer in spiritual warfare. One need relates to the condition of blindness that Satan has inflicted on unbelievers (1 Corinthians 4:3–4). People cannot come to Christ unless their spiritual eyes are opened. Theodore Epp wrote, "If Satan has blinded and bound men and women, how can we ever see souls saved? This is where you and I enter the picture. Spoiling the goods of the strong man has to do with liberating those whom Satan has blinded and is keeping bound. This is where prayer comes in."
Prayer is a primary weapon in combating spiritual blindness. The apostle John wrote: "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him" (1 John 5:14–15). Then he immediately challenged believers to apply this principle by asking God to bring life to unbelievers (verse 16). Our evangelistic strategy must include authoritative prayer that God's light would penetrate satanic blindness.
We also need to pray, as Paul did in Ephesians 1:18–19, that the eyes of believers may be enlightened to understand the spiritual power, authority and protection that is our inheritance in Christ. As long as Satan can keep us in the dark about our position and authority in Christ, he can keep us stunted in our growth and ineffectual in our witness and ministry. We need to pray for each other continually that Satan's smoke screen of lies will be blown away and that our vision into the spiritual realm will be crystal clear.
Lord, remind me frequently to pray against the deception, which the enemy uses to block my vision of Your will for my life. Amen.
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.